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spring |
7 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Spring \Spring\, v. i. [imp. {Sprang}or {Sprung}; p. p. {Sprung}; p. pr & vb n. {Springing}.] [AS. springan; akin to D. & G. springen, OS & OHG. springan, Icel. & Sw springa, Dan. springe; cf Gr ? to hasten. Cf {Springe}, {Sprinkle}.] 1. To leap; to bound; to jump. The mountain stag that springs From height to height, and bounds along the plains. --Philips. 2. To issue with speed and violence; to move with activity; to dart; to shoot. And sudden light Sprung through the vaulted roof. --Dryden. 3. To start or rise suddenly, as from a covert. Watchful as fowlers when their game will spring. --Otway. 4. To fly back as a bow, when bent, springs back by its elastic power. 5. To bend from a straight direction or plane surface; to become warped; as a piece of timber, or a plank, sometimes springs in seasoning. 6. To shoot up out or forth; to come to the light; to begin to appear; to emerge; as a plant from its seed, as streams from their source, and the like -often followed by up forth, or out Till well nigh the day began to spring. --Chaucer. To satisfy the desolate and waste ground, and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth. --Job xxxviii 27. Do not blast my springing hopes. --Rowe. O, spring to light; auspicious Babe, be born. --Pope. 7. To issue or proceed, as from a parent or ancestor; to result, as from a cause motive, reason, or principle. [They found] new hope to spring Out of despair, joy, but with fear yet linked. --Milton. 8. To grow; to prosper. What makes all this but Jupiter the king, At whose command we perish, and we spring? --Dryden. {To spring at}, to leap toward; to attempt to reach by a leap. {To spring forth}, to leap out to rush out {To spring in}, to rush in to enter with a leap or in haste. {To spring on} or {upon}, to leap on to rush on with haste or violence; to assault. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Spring \Spring\, n. [AS. spring a fountain, a leap. See {Spring}, v. i.] 1. A leap; a bound; a jump. The prisoner, with a spring, from prison broke. --Dryden. 2. A flying back the resilience of a body recovering its former state by elasticity; as the spring of a bow. 3. Elastic power or force. Heavens! what a spring was in his arm! --Dryden. 4. An elastic body of any kind as steel, India rubber, tough wood, or compressed air, used for various mechanical purposes, as receiving and imparting power, diminishing concussion, regulating motion, measuring weight or other force. Note: The principal varieties of springs used in mechanisms are the spiral spring (Fig. a), the coil spring (Fig. b), the elliptic spring (Fig. c), the half-elliptic spring (Fig. d), the volute spring, the India-rubber spring, the atmospheric spring, etc 5. Any source of supply; especially, the source from which a stream proceeds; as issue of water from the earth; a natural fountain. ``All my springs are in thee.'' --Ps. lxxxvii. 7. ``A secret spring of spiritual joy.'' --Bentley. ``The sacred spring whence and honor streams.'' --Sir J. Davies. 6. Any active power; that by which action or motion, is produced or propagated; cause origin; motive. Our author shuns by vulgar springs to move The hero's glory, or the virgin's love. --Pope. 7. That which springs, or is originated, from a source; as: a A race; lineage. [Obs.] --Chapman. b A youth; a springal. [Obs.] --Spenser. c A shoot; a plant; a young tree; also a grove of trees; woodland. [Obs.] --Spenser. Milton. 8. That which causes one to spring; specifically, a lively tune. [Obs.] --Beau. & Fl 9. The season of the year when plants begin to vegetate and grow; the vernal season, usually comprehending the months of March, April, and May in the middle latitudes north of the equator. ``The green lap of the new-come spring.'' --Shak. Note: Spring of the astronomical year begins with the vernal equinox, about March 21st, and ends with the summer solstice, about June 21st. 10. The time of growth and progress; early portion; first stage. ``The spring of the day.'' --1 Sam. ix 26. O how this spring of love resembleth The uncertain glory of an April day --Shak. 11. (Naut.) a A crack or fissure in a mast or yard, running obliquely or transversely. b A line led from a vessel's quarter to her cable so that by tightening or slacking it she can be made to lie in any desired position; a line led diagonally from the bow or stern of a vessel to some point upon the wharf to which she is moored. {Air spring}, {Boiling spring}, etc See under {Air}, {Boiling}, etc {Spring back} (Bookbinding), a back with a curved piece of thin sheet iron or of stiff pasteboard fastened to the inside, the effect of which is to make the leaves of a book thus bound (as a ledger or other account or blank book) spring up and lie flat. {Spring balance}, a contrivance for measuring weight or force by the elasticity of a spiral spring of steel. {Spring beam}, a beam that supports the side of a paddle box. See {Paddle beam}, under {Paddle}, n. {Spring beauty}. a (Bot.) Any plant of the genus {Claytonia}, delicate herbs with somewhat fleshy leaves and pretty blossoms, appearing in springtime. b (Zo["o]l.) A small elegant American butterfly ({Erora l[ae]ta}) which appears in spring. The hind wings of the male are brown, bordered with deep blue; those of the female are mostly blue. {Spring bed}, a mattress, under bed, or bed bottom, in which springs, as of metal, are employed to give the required elasticity. {Spring beetle} (Zo["o]l.), a snapping beetle; an elater. {Spring box}, the box or barrel in a watch, or other piece of mechanism, in which the spring is contained. {Spring fly} (Zo["o]l.), a caddice fly; -- so called because it appears in the spring. {Spring grass} (Bot.), a vernal grass. See under {Vernal}. {Spring gun}, a firearm disharged by a spring, when this is trodden upon or is otherwise moved {Spring hook} (Locomotive Engines), one of the hooks which fix the driving-wheel spring to the frame. {Spring latch}, a latch that fastens with a spring. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Spring \Spring\, v. t. 1. To cause to spring up to start or rouse, as game; to cause to rise from the earth, or from a covert; as to spring a pheasant. 2. To produce or disclose suddenly or unexpectedly. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: spring adj : occurring in or appropriate to the season of spring; "spring rains"; "springtime activities" [syn: {spring(a)}, {springtime(a)}] n 1: the season of growth; "the emerging buds were a sure sign of spring"; "he will hold office until the spring of next year" [syn: {springtime}] 2: a metal device that returns to its shape or position when pushed or pulled or pressed; "the spring was broken" 3: a natural flow of ground water [syn: {fountain}, {outflow}, {outpouring}, {natural spring}] 4: a point at which water issues forth 5: the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length [syn: {give}, {springiness}] 6: a light springing movement upwards or forwards [syn: {leap}, {leaping}, {bound}, {bounce}] v 1: move forward by leaps and bounds; "The horse bounded across the meadow"; "The child leapt across the puddle"; "Can you jump over the fence?" [syn: {jump}, {leap}, {bound}] 2: develop into a distinctive entity; "our plans began to take shape" [syn: {form}, {take form}, {take shape}] 3: spring back spring away from an impact; "The rubber ball bounced" [syn: {bounce}, {take a hop}, {bound}, {rebound}, {recoil}, {ricochet}] 4: produce or disclose suddenly or unexpectedly; "He sprang a new haircut on his wife" 5: develop suddenly; "The tire sprang a leak" 6: produce or disclose suddenly or unexpectedly; "He sprang these news on me just as I was leaving" From U.S. Gazetteer (1990) [gazetteer]: Spring, TX (CDP, FIPS 69596) Location: 30.06194 N, 95.38381 W Population (1990): 33111 (11469 housing units) Area: 61.8 sq km (land), 0.1 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 77373, 77386, 77388, 77389 From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (13 Mar 01) [foldoc]: SPRING {String PRocessING language} From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]: Spring (Heb. 'ain, "the bright open source, the eye of the landscape"). To be carefully distinguished from well" (q.v.). Springs" mentioned in Josh. 10:40 (Heb. 'ashdoth) should rather be declivities" or slopes" (R.V.), i.e., the undulating ground lying between the lowlands (the shephelah) and the central range of hills.
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